‘Indeed,’ Judge Arctos confirmed. He was a tall, pale man, with an impressive beard of light blond hair that dangled some way below his chin. ‘Lady Morandia apparently overpowered him shortly after he ordered his craft to fire on yours. The evidence we have uncovered so far suggests that she was ignorant of her husband’s schemes involving Niklau, and the assassins who murdered Lord Vittariel and made an attempt on your own life, although we are continuing our investigations.’ He scratched his cheek. ‘Of course, she was not ignorant of many other things, including the fact that their personal flyer had been modified to carry twin-linked autocannons in violation of Ascension City ordinances, which is why she is also currently being detained.’

‘I have sent word to my colleagues in the Holy Ordos,’ Zaretta Ngiri said. The inquisitor had lost a lot of blood from Niklau’s attack, but Chetta’s vox-call had led to a veritable frenzy of activity, and chirurgeons had been amongst the first on the scene. She was currently using a cane not dissimilar to Chetta’s own, but there was every indication that within a few weeks she’d be back to her previous level of health. Fell had also survived, although the amount of synskin grafts he’d required meant that he wouldn’t be returning to duty any time soon. ‘There are others who will have a pressing interest in what has happened here, and a greater level of expertise than my own in the nature of those involved.’

Chetta exchanged a glance with Judge Arctos. He undoubtedly had as many reasons to be uneasy about the prospect of new inquisitors arriving as she did, given the notoriously individual and mercurial nature of that particular breed. However, neither of them were going to show that openly.

‘They will receive our full cooperation, of course,’ Arctos said smoothly. ‘Will you be staying to facilitate the handover, Lady Ngiri?’

‘I may be present,’ Ngiri said. She took a step to the side, and winced. ‘Honestly, Chetta, I don’t know how you manage this.’

Chetta, who was currently on her feet solely through a combination of extremely strong painkillers and sheer bloody-mindedness, masked her reflexive acid response with a half-smile. ‘Long practice.’

‘However, my duties may require me to be elsewhere,’ Ngiri continued, either not noticing or choosing to ignore whatever irritation might have slipped through Chetta’s expression. ‘Apropos of which, I believe that you have another guest waiting?’

‘Indeed.’ Arctos turned and headed for the elevators, the long robes of his office flowing around him. ‘If you would follow me?’